Cherry Creek News · Denver, CO
Nearby: Denver, COFifty-six former workers of Wash Park Grille and Agave Taco Bar will split $117,244 after a Denver wage theft investigation ended in a settlement, according to officials. The payout includes full back pay and fines after the restaurants failed to pay wages and tips before closing. McDonald said the restaurant’s co-owner, Jeff Estey, went “radio silent” after the closure and “absconded with tips” that servers earned during the Christmas and New Year’s stretch. Tyler McDonald, one of the 56 former employees covered by the settlement, said he was owed several weeks of pay by the time Wash Park Grille was seized for unpaid taxes in February 2025, with missing paychecks dating back to the holiday season. “At the beginning, I was feeling very discouraged, down in the dumps, betrayed. I thought there was nothing I could do,” McDonald said.
Cherry Creek News · Denver, CO
Nearby: Denver, CODenver Mayor Mike Johnston asked Amy Ford, director of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, to resign on Oct. 9, 2026, and the city agreed to pay her $22,500. The separation agreement, obtained by The Denver Post, included a non-disparagement clause and was announced one day before the midterm election. According to the document, Ford agreed not to make any statement that might “disparage, discredit or reflect negatively on Mayor Johnston” and waived her right to file lawsuits against the city. The separation agreement, signed Oct. 9, stipulates the city will pay Ford $22,500, equivalent to six weeks of her annual salary of approximately $195,000. Johnston’s office instructed Ford to announce her departure on Nov. 2, one day before the midterm election, according to The Denver Post. Officials announced Ford’s resignation this week without providing further explanation. 9News first reported Johnston’s resignation request and the terms of the paid agreement.
Cherry Creek News · Denver, CO
Nearby: Denver, CODenver City Council and Mayor Mike Johnston’s office reached a compromise late Monday night to add $4 million to the 2027 budget for the Temporary Rental and Utilities Assistance Program, bringing total funding to $8.5 million. The deal, which still falls short of this year’s $15 million, will draw from the city’s contingency fund and department budgets, according to officials. The compromise adds $1.72 million through the council amendment, with the mayor’s office committing to contribute an additional $2.3 million in the coming weeks, according to officials. The funds will be drawn from the city’s contingency fund and from service and supplies budgets across several departments. Mayor Mike Johnston originally proposed $4.5 million for TRUA in the 2027 budget, a significant reduction from the $15 million the city plans to spend this year.
The Catalyst · Denver, CO
Nearby: Denver, COBy: Abigail Hill, Ewan Ward, Molly Luikart, Skyler Siegfried (Staff Writer & Guest Contributors) The class of ‘32 at Colorado College could potentially be able to catch a train from Colorado Springs for activities like a weekend party in Boulder, a concert in Denver or to the airport for holiday breaks. Currently, they’d have to drive, get a ride or take a bus. But on Election Day, Colorado voters appeared poised to support raising taxes to create a Front Range passenger rail line named the Colorado Connector, or, for short, CoCo. The train would travel from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and by 2032, CoCo’s “full corridor service” could run through Colorado Springs. “I didn’t have a car freshman year, so more transportation to Denver and the ski mountains would be good,” said Keller Mahoney ‘28. Public transportation from Denver International Airport to the Springs currently means two buses and one train for a roughly three-hour commute costing around $30.